MissionThe Wireless Communications Group focuses on Physical Layer and Signal Processing aspects of Wireless Systems designed for communication, localization, sensing and actuation with a scale ranging from wide area networks down to swarms of sub-millimeter nodes. |
In research and teaching we intentionally motivate and maintain a working environment and attitude that strives for a rigorous understanding of the fundamentals while constantly challenging conventional wisdom so as to facilitate true invention. In the innovation cycle we encourage and appreciate “funny” ideas even if we initially are not capable of judging their potential. Throughout this process we maintain an understanding and an appreciation of the underlying physical principles and as such eventually verify our ideas in carefully designed experiments.
In recent years we have shifted our research focus from simple network topologies to physical layer aspects of large systems of wirelessly enabled nodes and to non-conventional uses of wireless systems. Our three current Research Tracks comprise networks with Wide Area coverage, Personal Area coverage and Micro-Sphere coverage. Specifically:
- Track I is communication centric and studies concepts for future post-cellular networks with orders of magnitude improvements in performance.
- Track II focuses on (human) posture capturing and environmental feature extraction with an extremely low cost on-body wireless sensor network, which makes ubiquitous employment without fixed infrastructure possible.
- Track III in turn is dedicated to joint communication, localization and energy supply in swarms of extremely small and simple wireless nodes, combined with the possibility of enforced node movements and energy absorption profiles in the swarm.